Tour Package

Skip the lines to see the best of the Vatican City. This is the perfect small group tour for those who want to see the major highlights of the Vatican City. Your tour guide will put a strong focus on the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, and choosing the most interesting art pieces and artifacts in the Vatican Museums to explore.

In the Vatican Museum, your guide will take you on a highlights tour of the most interesting artifacts, sculptures and artwork that have great stories and scandals behind them.

During the Vatican Museums portion of the tour, you’ll get to visit the picturesque Vatican garden, Cortile della Pigna. Your local guide will take you to the most interesting galleries within the museums – the Rotunda, Gallery of Tapestries and Gallery of Maps. Each of these rooms contain ornate ceilings with the walls decorated with ancient statues, frescoes and tapestries. Your guide will point out a few tricks used by the artists, which will enhance your appreciation of their works of art, as well as their sense of humor!

Of course, the greatest gem of the Vatican collection is not a painting on any wall, but an entire ceiling and wall completely frescoed by the greatest genius of the Renaissance period – Michelangelo Buonarotti. From the Creation of Adam to the Last Judgement, Michelangelo dedicated some of his greatest years to the Sistine Chapel, working day and night – even sleeping in the chapel – to satisfy the popes of Rome. He also expressed his frustration with his employers with jokes hidden in his work, which only he would understand – today these have been uncovered and understood and your guide will explain these to you so you too can share in Michelangelo’s private jokes!

Skip The Line Tickets to St Peter’s Basilica

The final stop in your tour of the Vatican is the Basilica of St Peter. Known as the greatest architectural masterpiece in Rome, St Peter’s took over a century to complete. Your guide will tell you the story of the nine master architects who each carried the project forward until their deaths; including how that genius Michelangelo – again! – would be the one to finally complete the design for the most challenging aspect of the ambitious design – the great dome which is one of the most iconic images of Rome today.

Inside St Peter’s you will visit a selection of the many ornate monuments, statues and mosaics (there are no paintings in the Basilica – find out why from your guide!), and stand in front of the sacred altar of St Peter, from where the Pope says mass on very special occasions.

This tour is perfectly suited to those who want to see the best highlights of the Vatican without too much walking or too many in-depth art discussions.

Notes :

Unfortunately, due to unavoidable steep stairways in the Vatican Museums, and at the Colosseum, we cannot accommodate guests with mobility impairments or strollers on this tour. Please send us an email and we will work with you to find a suitable alternative.

This tour is not suitable for cruise arrivals. It is not possible to join the group tour within the time frame that you will have in Rome. Please see our Cruise Excursions Page for options created specifically for cruise ship arrivals.

Tour Fee

Adult: €59

Teen 13-17*: €49

Child 5-12**: €45

*Must be aged under 18 on the day of the tour and must have a photographic ID to present to the tour coordinator.**Must be aged under 13 on the day of the tour and must have a photographic ID to present to the tour coordinator.

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Our Reviews

Ancient times, but some much knowledge thanks to Nick.Review of: Skip the Line Ancient Rome and Colosseum Underground Tour

“Wow, what a fab experience! Our group of four had the pleasure of having Nick (Nicoli) as our tour guide and made full use of his knowledge as a historian of Ancient Rome he was magnificent. Best ever guided tour and fully recommended.”

“So glad we took the skip the line tour. Not only did we go right into the tour and skip the long lines), but our tour guide Andrea (spelling?) was very knowledgable and made our tour very enjoyable. It was awesome to be in the presence of such history and to learn the special back stories. I would do this again!”

@860franciscoi

So much more than expected!Review of: Skip the Line Ancient Rome and Colosseum Underground Tour

“We were so excited (and not disappointed) to see the Colosseum, underground included, but were so impressed by the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill portions of this tour ... absolutely stunning! You know you are going to get a history lesson on a tour like this but it was more than a lesson ... it was a history experience.”

@Anita M

Great Learning ExperienceReview of: Skip the Line Ancient Rome and Colosseum Underground Tour

“Marley, our tour guide did an outstanding job with the tour. She was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. I highly recommend this tour especially if you would like to see all the accessible areas of the Colosseum.”

“We did two tours (Ostia Antica and Best of Rome Half-Day Tour). Both guides went above and beyond to make sure we enjoyed ourselves on the tours. They were knowledgeable and gave us insights and details above and beyond what we expected. I would strongly recommend.”